Niall Cooper, from Church Action on Poverty, which is co-ordinating the event, said the hearing would end with a call to all political parties to commit to ending poverty in the UK by 2020.

Delegates will urge politicians to commit to an adequate wage for all people, end bad housing and homelessness and ensure that asylum seekers are allowed to work or be given access to state support.

Mr Cooper said: "While some progress has been made in tackling poverty-related issues in the past 10 years, poverty continues to damage the lives of very many people.

"We need to build a movement dedicated to making poverty in the UK history. The National Poverty Hearing is a unique opportunity for faith groups, charities and unions to illustrate real experiences of poverty in our backyard."

He continued: "Three million adults and 400,000 children are not being properly fed by today's standards. About nine million people in Britain cannot afford housing that is properly heated, free from damp and in a safe and habitable condition. In a rich country, this is a national scandal."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, said: "It is sometimes hard in our modern, highly connected world to keep in mind what the grinding effect of unremitting poverty can be.

"In turning a spotlight on poverty in our own communities, this hearing will, I hope, focus our attention on what still needs to be done to lift the burdens from those who can in all senses least afford to carry them."